Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

A television actress encounters a variety of eccentric characters after embarking on a journey to discover why her lover abruptly left her.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writer:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay)

Stars:

Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Julieta Serrano

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 22 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carmen Maura	...	Pepa
Antonio Banderas	...	Carlos
Julieta Serrano	...	Lucía
María Barranco	...	Candela
Rossy de Palma	...	Marisa
Kiti Mánver	...	Paulina Morales (as Kiti Manver)
Guillermo Montesinos	...	Taxista
Chus Lampreave	...	Portera Testiga de Jehová
Eduardo Calvo	...	Padre de Lucía (as Yayo Calvo)
Loles León	...	Secretaria
Ángel de Andrés López	...	Policía I (as Angel de Andrés-López)
Fernando Guillén	...	Iván
Juan Lombardero	...	Germán
José Antonio Navarro	...	Policía II
Ana Leza	...	Ana

Storyline

Pepa's lover, Iván, leaves her and she tries to contact him to find out why he's left. In her search for Iván, she confronts his wife and son, who are as clueless as she is. Meanwhile, Candela, her friend, is afraid the police might be looking for her because of her ex-boyfriend, a muslim terrorist, and his criminal activities. As the plot develops, it is revealed that everyone's lives are more intertwined than they could have ever expected.

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Plot Keywords:

gazpacho | f rated | 1980s | female lawyer | vinyl record | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #855.

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Goofs

Pepa pushes the baggage cart at Lucía and it moves with a great deal of speed. However, in the next shot, it's obvious that the cart barely touches her, yet she falls as if it had hit her hard.

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Quotes

Paulina Morales: She must turn herself in, go to jail, and let the jury decide her case.
Pepa: I don't understand.
Paulina Morales: She's committed a crime.
Pepa: Her only crime was falling in love and being afraid. I'd do the same.
Paulina Morales: I'm sure.

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Connections

Referenced in Home for the Holidays (1995)

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Soundtracks

Capricho Español
Written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performed by Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra (as La Orquesta Sinfonica de la Radio de Moscú)
Conducted by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (as G. Rozhdestvensky)

User Reviews

My brief review of the film

An interesting Spanish comedy, the film's humour is derived mostly from the events being so absurd. Some aspects are overly ridiculous, but it is still very entertaining stuff, executed in a lively manner with an appropriately fast pace and suitable music choices. It is constantly interesting on a visual level, with vibrant colours, creative camera angles, and a lot of framing and close-up shots. The action is a bit frantic and the plot is a little too convoluted, but the film maintains an almost fantasy-like atmosphere, in which it feels like anything is possible, and this quality makes it an enjoyable, unique watch. It is hard to say if Almodóvar is trying to say anything at all here, as there are some ideas raised about consequences that are not explored in much depth. Still, the originality of it all keeps it afloat, and it is certainly quite an unusual (in a positive sense) cinematic experience.

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

11 November 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Filming Locations:

38 Calle de Almagro, Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,399, 13 August 2006

Gross USA:

$7,251,740

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,262,580

Company Credits

Production Co:

Laurenfilm, El Deseo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1